Solace in Fire
by Spiffswishy
Summary: Elyon wakes up in the fire nation with her name and the knowledge that she has amnesia. She's arrested and escapes from prison with General Iroh. They go into hiding and she sings for pennies. What happens when a Fire prince falls in love with her music? What side of the war will she chose?
1. Chapter 1

The dim light seemed to get much stronger and added to the headache I already had. However painful it was, I opened my eyes and sat up. Something was very wrong. Where was I? This dense forest wasn't familiar. I seemed to be lying under a statue of some sort. It was of an animal I was not familiar with. A frog? No, that wasn't it. I winced as I stood on shaky knees. My head pounded furiously and I leaned against the statue.

Suddenly I was out of the forest. It was like I had transported or something. I was in a small room, metal appliances everywhere. There was a beeping, loud, obnoxious, and then-

The vision was over. I fell onto the statue then shuffled quickly away from it. Whatever it was, I didn't want to get that strange feeling again.

The realization that I was lost set in. I found myself panicked, terrified. I ran through the dense brush, not pausing when spiky plants ripped across my bare legs, tearing holes in my simple clothes. I found myself surprisingly nimble. Although the running was an adrenaline rush, it felt good and I reacted well. My legs seemed to like the speed of running. Eventually I stumbled out of the wood onto a roadway of some sort. Across the road were fields. They covered the rolling hills like a fall quilt. Here and there I noticed farmers and strange ostrich-like birds, dotting the landscape.

Although this was certainly intriguing, it did nothing to calm my fear. I still didn't recognize anything. Where was I?

I sat quickly on the long grass and put my head into my hands. Oh no. This wasn't happening. Not to me.

**I couldn't remember my name.**

Time passed and I began to pace. Should I go ask those farmers for help? No, they'd probably just dismiss me as a bother. I had to talk to someone though! I was suffering from amnesia! I kept asking myself how I could forget my own name? I wiped sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. As I lowered my arm I noticed something. On the back of my hand, smudged by the sweat was blue writing. I struggled to read it but I could only make out the first word. Elyon.

It was my name. Relief and brief recognition came to mind along with another vision. There was a skinny girl standing before a mirror. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail but it still reached her waist. Sunglasses perched on her nose. She was crying. I watched her take the glasses off and punch out the lenses. She raised her arm as if to throw them. Then, my vision ended. I sat back down on the ground, tired. Slowly, I brought my hands to my face and felt the hard lenses there. That girl was me. I pressed my hand to my forehead and groaned. I remember her, my, hair. I ran my hands through the ponytail. Damn, I had a mane. I retied it so it wouldn't fly back in my face. I had to go find a town, person, anyone. Someplace for shelter. I started a jog alongside of the road but realized that the pace would be to slow. Judging by the sun, it was probably half-past three or four in the afternoon. I decided to double my speed and my legs groaned in pleasure. Obviously whoever Elyon was, excuse me, who ever I was, they (I) ran a lot. I continued to push harder, straining for a look of clear humanity.

It was dark by the time I could see city lights in the distance. Luckily for me, it was a large city and the amount of people kept attention off of me. I noticed a couple odd looks from some people but I returned the odd looks back. People here dressed differently than from how I was dressed. I had on a pair of blue trousers and a long T-shirt, while everyone else was wearing long red cloaks, elaborate mauve dresses or sharp, rust-colored armor. I was immediately intimidated and scurried away into an alley in the back of some people's houses. Although my legs ached from the run, I knew I would walk until I found seclusion somewhere, even if it meant walking another mile. I had to figure out my plan before I just trusted someone.

This is exactly what I did. I walked for another 20 minutes before I found someone with a backyard, a small one. There was a natural spring and small garden there and I used this to acquire some food. I picked some small leaves that looked safe and chewed on them. I took water from the fastest part of the stream so as not to get bad water. After this small feast I fell asleep. I couldn't help it. I was so tired. Looking back now, things could've turned out drastically if I had just got off my lazy butt and found somewhere more secluded to sleep. Instead I woke in the morning to loud voices and a scream. When I finally gained consciousness, one of the armored men off the street was binding my hands behind my back.

"In the honorable land of the Fire Nation, you are being arrested for trespassing on royal property."

**XX: Well guys, that's chapter one but plan on chapter two being so much better! You have no idea what I have planned but it's great and I suggest you read it because it'll be better than this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Wha?" I mumbled, half-awake. "What's happening?"

"You're being arrested for trespassing onto royal property. Don't resist or we'll be forced to use violence against you." A soldier with a scraggly beard was standing over me while another was holding my wrists.

"What?" All I did was eat some greens. I could pay you back." Had my hands been free, they would've fumbled around my person for a coin. It was fruitless though. I knew I had no money.

"I could work it off! Really this is a mistake, there's no reason to-"

"There are no mistakes in the Fire Nation. It would be a mistake to let you go. This house holds some of the closest people to the Fire lord's kids. You could have found access into the Fire Prince's chamber and killed him."

"Do I look like an assassin to you? I'm just a teenage girl who's lost and-"

"Enough talk. Princess Azula would be upset to find a trespasser so close to the palace. Therefore we'll have to bring you to the Royal Prison."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"Enough. Etay, cuff her and throw her in the back of the carriage with the other two troublemakers." As the large soldier handed Etay a pair of metal cuffs I began to feel adrenaline rush through my veins. It was like I had become a marionette. I wasn't aware of my body. Without warning, my leg came up and caught Etay in the groin. He dropped like a rock while dropping my wrists. I was off, running through the streets like a maniac. I heard people call out "Stop!" and "Criminal!" but I ran anyway. I got two streets away when another soldier came out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground. Looking back now, I really didn't stand a chance.

"I cried out in pain as a soldier, I'm not sure which one, yanked my arms back and cuffed them. Another pulled at my hair, bringing my face close to his. "Why you little…" His breath smelt like rotting meat. I think it was Etay but I couldn't tell. What can I say; the matching uniforms all looked alike.

"You'll pay for that in prison. The princess if visiting today and if you act one near her…" A small horse-drawn….wait it wasn't a horse…maybe a bird….an ostrich?...anyway a carriage pulled by some type of animal came our way and the soldiers through me in the back. The thing itself was made of harsh wood and after they closed the door, the only light coming in was from a small barred window. It was pretty creepy-looking. I groaned and tried sitting up so my arms wouldn't get scratched by the wood.

"Hey." A squeak of surprise pushed its way past my lips as my arm brushed a body. In the dimness I saw two other figures. Both male and definitely muscular. "What're you in for?" The larger one asked me. He had a patch over one eye and scars criss-crossed over his chest.

"Um sleeping in a garden..?"

"Well that sucks for you. Wait are you a girl?" The other thug shuffled closer to me and I pressed myself against the wall.

"Yes I'm a girl." I said definitely. They each laughed at me.

"Man, they are going to break you in prison."

"Well, it's all been a misunderstanding. I'm sure once I tell the princess-"The guys stopped laughing and looked at me in shock.

"Are you kidding me?" The big one asked. "You would talk to Princess Azula?"

"Yeah…why not?"

"Do you even know who she is?" The skinny one asked.

"Um…no."

The big one shuffled closer to me. "Okay Blondie, I'm Kat and this is Zeke. We've personally toured the majority of the Fire Nation prisons and obviously you aren't Fire Nation so, we're going to give you a little Fire Nation 411 on our way to prison. It's like a half hour trip and this way you won't die once you step foot in there.

"Um ok, sure. Two things first." I said. "One: my name is Elyon. And two: um I'm a brunette."

"You makin' fun of my eye?" He growled at me.

I LOOKED AT HIS EYEPATCH. "No, not at all."

"Wait so you're telling me there's this magic thing called bending where people can control the elements and that some kid called the avatar can control all four of them so the Fire Lord wants him dead and the Fire Lords kid's killed the avatar but there's a rumor that they only mortally wounded him?"

"You catch on fast Blondie."

"I'm a brunette!"

"But brunette sounds weird, does it not?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Can either of you bend?"

"Kat can firebend but he's not good."

"I am too good!" Kat bellowed.

"You burned your eye off when you were drunk in a bar!"

"That takes skill. Kat glared a Zeke and Zeke stared back. I almost thought I would have to separate them but we felt the carriage stop. The door opened and we all blinked at the bright Fire Nation sun.

"Good-luck Blondie, hope that amnesia wears off." Kat winked and Zeke nodded at me as they were lead away. I was last and I braced myself as I was hauled out of the box.

The prison was huge. It was cylinder in shape with tiny windows the size of my hand dotting the exterior. The only thing marking it as a prison was the top left corner where a large section of the building was being built. It looked like the building had gone through a fight.

"Good another girl, bring her inside they want the line-up _now_." I was quickly flanked by two guards and taken inside the prison. It was dark and shouts echoed through the halls. I was jolted and pushed but the guards led me on. Soon enough they pushed me into a large room where plenty of females stood in a line. They were all dirty and wearing grimy grey shifts. Their hair hung in clumps (clumps!) around their faces. Some were sobbing. I inched my way to the line and dropped my head to my chest like the others. Zeke and Kat had told me to follow any orders once I was taken inside. The hum of voices and tears were finally quieted by the slamming of a large wooden door, even the guards shut up. I tried to look at my shoes and calm my heartbeat. What if they were selecting people to execute? I didn't want to die! It was just a stupid garden! The clicking of shoes finally stopped…right in front of me!

"Guard why is this one not in uniform?"

My head jerked up. A beautiful girl, probably my age, with an angular face was standing in front of me. She was wearing full battle garb and a small flame pin held her hair together in a topknot. This was Princess Azula?

XX: Oh Azula…..so evil and poor Elyon she's so screwed…I, the author, indirectly told her not to lift her head up but did she listen? Nope! Sorry this chapter took my s long I promise to get the next one up soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Elyon tests Azula

"_Guard why is this one not in uniform?"_

_My head jerked up. A beautiful girl, probably my age, with an angular face was standing in front of me. She was wearing full battle garb and a small flame pin held her hair together in a topknot. This was Princess Azula?_

"She just arrived, Princess. We had just arrived when we received word you wanted a lineup of all the female prisoners. Had we been told earlier-"

"Are you trying to pin this on me sir?" The princess said sharply. I noticed the guards face pale quickly and I chocked down a laugh. Unfortunately a piece of it echoed in the room. All the prisoners looked at me with expressions of either respect or downright terror.

"And what do you find so funny?"

"Nothing, Prin-Azula." My mouth lifted in a grin as some part of my brain commanded that this world was a dream. "I just think it's funny a six-foot man is obviously scared stiff by a girl my age. You look what, sixteen, seventeen?" Of course I didn't know my own age but that would be my own guess.

"Bold." Azula's eyes incriminated me. "Guard, what is she in for?"

"Breaking into a royal garden you highness. I believe it was Lady Mai's backyard."

Azula smirked and turned back to me. "Would you like me to show you why you should fear me?"

"Why not?" The other female prisoners shuffled back and pressed themselves into the wall. Azula stood in the center of the room and brought her hands downward towards the floor. It was like she was pushing gravity away… My hair began to stand on end and I saw her begin to siphon lightning at her fingertips. Of course…as Fire Nation Royalty it would make sense for her to fire bend….but lightning! Kat had never mentioned that!

She began to shoot the lightning at the guards, who backed off in fear and then I saw her gaze, and crazy smile, turn toward me. She ran forward, flipped in midair and shot blue fricking fire at me. As it went past my ear I could feel the intense heat and was surprised I didn't pull away. Even Azula was surprised. She breathed deeply and again did the weird gravity-I-hate you motion.

"You didn't even flinch."

"I'm not afraid of fire." I replied.

"You'll learn to be."She said in a nice….and creepy…way. She turned to the guards who began to right themselves. "She's the one. Send her to the cell with uncle. Enough time there and she'll become like the others." Her eyes scrutinized my face one last time before she stalked off. Two other guards quickly came to collect me. One to my left, one to my right, they led me around corridors, through passageways and up a seemingly endless flight of stairs. My feet were feeling sore when the guard to my left suddenly stopped at a door.

"This is the special wing. We only keep treasonous prisoners here. Unfortunately because of a…mishap, we had a couple of days ago, the main quarter of this wing caved in and we've had to pair prisoners in cells." He opened the door and I noticed the lack of a lock, I was feeling rather hopeful before I noticed the back of the room was actually a cage. The lock was clearly visible on that door. As well was a huddled figure at the back of the cage.

One of the guards opened the door to the cage while the other untied my hands. I was then pushed inside as they closed the door again. I was short so I could stand up inside of it but an adult would've been cramped in there.

"What about her uniform? If Azula makes a family visit-"

The other guard began to laugh. "Azula….make a family visit…here? C'mon Jiang. We've got to get you out of this dirty air."

"Wait, what about me?" I cried, my heart beating faster. I did not want to be stuck here. _Was the main next to me even alive?_

"Supper is at sundown, breakfast at sunup and lunch at noon. Anything you need you can discuss with whoever brings you your food. However, most guards aren't as forgiving with questions as we are." Before I could reply they had shut the door. I put my back up against the wall and slid down it.

"Murgh…" I nearly jumped out of my skin when my inmate gave out a yawn. _Guess he was alive._

I crawled over to the man, using only my fingertips and pads of my feet to move. He appeared to be sleeping. His hair was long and grey, his beard long and matted. He could've been my grandfather.

"Murrgh." Again I jumped and retreated back to my corner of the cell…where it was safe…..and I just sat there for hours. At one point I explored the bars of the cage, searching for something rusty or loose to break out but, everything was intact and wielded by melted metal. Trying to escape would be fruitless; I had to wait until someone came along to give me dinner. Then perhaps I could push past them when they opened the door to push in the food…however that wasn't what happened.

"General Iroh?" A woman guard opened the door to our cell and my eyes protested the light. "I brought you some jasmine tea and-"her whispering stopped short when she saw me. "So they tried to put another person in here. When will they give up?" she squinted at me. "Seems unfair. You're so young."

"Princess Azula issued the order." I said, my throat itching. The smell of tea made my stomach rumble."And why is this cell so much worse than any of the others? Is he," I jerked my head to my inmate, "an ax murderer? So far all he does is sleep."

"That's all he does," She pushed the tray of food under the bars of our cage. So much for my escape plan. "But at night he is overcome by terrible dreams. Sometimes daymares as well. Many of the prisoners we've put in here have begged to be moved or even to be drafted into the army. The put them on the front lines where survival is scarce." She touched her cheek. "That's where my brother is."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. Her voice seemed to be full of pain.

"Never mind. Eat what you can but leave half for General Iroh. They barely give me enough food for one person." With that she left and our cell became dark again, cept for the barred window above.

Looking at the old man out of the corner of my eye, I drank half of the tea in the teacup and ate a little more than half my share of the rice. I couldn't help it, I was just_ so hungry._ I pushed the remains over to the old man and propped myself up in the corner. Somehow I fell asleep.

My dreams were familiar slices of what seemed to be memory. I was riding a bike of metal; sitting by a river, walking through the woods…my last memory was of a tree. I was climbing through its branches, trying to get higher. I felt a sense of foreboding pass through me before I fell, crashing through the leaves. My heart raced as I neared the ground but before I hit bottom, I woke up. Unfortunately with my eyes trying to adjust to the light in our dim cell I realized what had really jarred me from my memories. My inmate was screaming.

XX: Elyon loves comments but Iroh loves comments more.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: In which $hit happens

I didn't think a man as old as my inmate could scream for so long. Judging by the moon's rays glinting through the bars of our cell, it had probably been a good hour of nonstop noise. I began to understand why the door for our cell was so thick. It no doubt muffled the man's voice.

I winced as he let out a giant sob. His screams weren't something out of a horror film, but more like sobs of pain and emotion. I glanced out of my corner of the cell, hands tightly clamped over my ears. His body was huddled in the fetal position, facing his wall. He shook with every scream and I couldn't help but feel pity. Even for a crazy so-called criminal, he didn't deserve this. Still keeping one hand on my ear, the other ear pressed against my shoulder to muffle the noise, I crawled across the cell and kneeled next to him.

I put my hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Hey!", but he continued to cry.

"Hey!" I shouted, much louder. His screaming seemed to die down, although the sobs did not. "Hey look." _Gosh this was so awkward_, I thought. "Look, whatever it is, it's going to be okay. You'll be fine." I rambled on and on, talking to him soothingly, as I would a child. When he finally fell completely silent, I used all my strength and rolled him away from the wall. I hesitantly looked at face.

His eyes were closed.

"Well that explains it, he has nightmares." I whispered to myself.

I don't know why my heart went out to this stranger. I wake up with amnesia, get arrested, brought to prison, and all of a sudden I'm doling out therapy to a crazy man? Obviously I was crazy. Still, I continued to mumble encouraging things to him long after he had fallen asleep and long after the light of morning drifted in through the bars of the small window.

The week continued on in the exact same fashion. I learned to sleep during the day, and stay awake at night. I was so tired after calming down my inmate every night, that I would only stay awake for ten minutes during the day. Those ten minutes would be used when we received our meal. Every guard that brought food asked me if I was desperate enough to leave yet. Only Ming, the women guard I had first met, understood my reasoning.

"How was he last night?" She asked, putting down a bowl of rice and some soup. I sipped the already-cool broth and left the rice and chicken aside for my roommate. I don't know when he ate, but he consumed everything. There was never a grain of rice left on his plate. No wonder he was…chubby.

"He was better than usual." I let the soup drip down my throat. "I gave up consoling him and sang to him for a while. It seemed to work better."

"The other guards spoke of someone singing. Said it sounded like the Moon Spirit herself was in the building."

"Please, I'm a better singer then the Moon Spirit." I winked at the shocked expression on Ming's face. I really didn't believe any of the spirit nonsense that this nation was so adamant on.

Ming uncomfortably changed the subject. "I do feel bad for General Iroh. He used to be the heir of the Firelord. Now just look at how far he's fallen."

"Firelord?" I looked at the unconscious man next to me. It was hard to believe he could rule an entire nation. "What did he do to get stuck here?"

"He conspired against the current Firelord, his own brother, with the Avatar." She sighed and took my empty bowl. "He wasn't always crazy here. He just seemed to recede into himself once they started housing prisoners with him. We used to have the most interesting conversations. Why this one time…" Ming continued to reminisce, while I closed my eyes and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Then woke to general Iroh yelling as usual. I quickly calmed him down and sang a song. My voice echoed through the cell like a siren's song.

"Just stand in the Rain

Stand your Ground.

Get up when it's all crashing down."

I don't know where these lyrics came from. They were just incomplete memories in my mind. When I finished this song and had started another, I began making shadow puppets in the moon's light.

"General Iroh, I don't understand. If I have no memories of who I really am, why do I remember petty lyrics? Besides, if these spirits do exist, what have I done to deserve this? They must be upset with me. Honestly though," I was aware I had began to ramble, "even if I don't understand this world, I do agree with the others in this prison. The fire nation sounds corrupt. No offense, you being the almost-dictator and all. I mean, sure there's a war going on but it sounds like it's their own doing." I looked down at my hands and the pale white skin there. "I may be as fair-skinned as the fire nationites but I don't look like you. My hair is too fair as well. Maybe I'm from the Earth kingdom, or I could be an air nomad."

"There's only one air nomad alive and that's the Avatar."

"Oh…right…See? I know nothing!" I cried with frustration and kicked at the bars. "I wish I could just get out of here, get my memory back. I could kick some fire nation butt and maybe even join the Avatar's war effort.

"Do you truly mean that? Many soldiers enroll for war, only to deny the hours of training it takes to survive on the battlefield."

"I'm prepared to learn combat skills and speed training." I looked down at my shaking hands. "I've got plenty of energy that could be put to good use. I just want to get out of this place and do something!"

"Looks like we're on the same piece of parchment then."

"Thank you! See now-"Suddenly I became hyperaware and everything clicked. I had been talking to someone. Someone with a rough voice, loaded with years of wisdom. I looked to my right and there sat General Iroh, sitting monk-style with a grin on his dirty face.

"Elyon I do believe I can make you fire-nation enough to escape here with me."

I gulped, still spooked, "When are we leaving?"

"I've planned this escape for months. We leave in three days."

"Shit."

**XX: Teehee! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Daring Escape

We got ready just after moon-up. After a quick workout, Uncle Iroh said we were ready to go. He hunkered down in his corner of the call, and I got in mine.

"Ready Elyon?" He asked me. "There's no going back."

"I know." I whispered. "Let's do this." Uncle Iroh took a deep breath and then began to scream as he did when I was first assigned to be cellmates with him. My ears flinched, recalling the sound. After a minute or so of him screaming, I began to yell too.

"Guards, please! Please, I can't take it anymore! Put me in the army! Kill me! Just get me out of this cell!" I grabbed the bars and continued to scream until I heard heavy footsteps and the click of a key in the lock.

You see, Iroh and I had planned this out the day before. Azula seemed to like putting snippy prisoners in with Iroh as a way of breaking them down. We figured if I finally "broke" then guards would quickly remove me from the room. That's where our plan truly began.

"Please!" I yelled over the screams as two guards came into our room. I watched one lock the door and put the keys on his belt. "Please, take me out of here!"

"Stop screaming." A guard said to me in frustration. Both of them held their hands over their ears, trying to block out Uncle Iroh. "We were waiting for you to finally give up." One unlocked our cell and the both of them came in. One of them went over and kicked Iroh, who stopped screaming.

This wasn't part of the plan. The other laughed at the shock apparent on my face. "Didn't think it was that easy to shut him up did you? Come here now."

He reached out a hand to me but I shied away. "No! Don't touch me!"

"Come on, we're going to get you out of here. That's what you wanted right?" The other guard who had kicked Iroh came towards me too. "Now just stand up and-"He suddenly fell to the floor with a thunk, unconscious.

"What the-"Iroh popped himself up to a standing position and kicked out at the remaining guard's head. The guard ducked but I was ready, standing behind him.

"Take this!" I said and gave him a high kick to his neck. He also went down. Uncle Iroh grabbed the keys and unlocked the door, as I stepped out of our cage for the first time he told me, "Well done Blossom but next time, the element of surprise if the best element of all."

"Oh, sorry." I was glad it was dark because I felt my face blush. I bowed as Uncle Iroh had taught me to do and said, "I will keep that in mind for next time." He laughed at my awkward formalness.

"Come." When the door to the hallway opened, I shut my mouth and fell silent. The corridor was dark, and quiet. We passed undetected as we traveled a level up, walking silently up the stairs. I walked on the balls of my feet, as Iroh had taught me.

"If you can walk silently, you will never be caught." He had said. At the top step, I flexed my feet, already sore. We finally hit the top level where construction and repair on the jail were taking place. This was where Iroh had said we would have trouble. Azula wanted the jail repaired and expanded by the end of summer when she assumed the Avatar would be dead. She had people working on it day and night. Somehow we would have to get past the workers.

"Follow me." Iroh whispered, so softy I almost missed it.

"Okay." I breathed and we continued. I moved lightly on my feet, using my hands to feel the walls. We could barely see but the sounds of the workers echoed around us, disorientating me. I stumbled into Iroh and the noise traveled. Uncle Iroh put his hand on my arm to steady me.

"You hear that?" I heard a worker ask.

"Probably just Brock coming back." Another replied.

Brock, I mouthed, as realization set in. Someone besides us was walking these halls. Uncle seemed to have the same idea as me and we both turned around simultaneously. A worker stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide. We had already begun to run forward when he started to alert the others.

"Escaping prisoners! Sound the alarm!"

"Shit!" I yelled now as Uncle and I rounded the corner, coming upon the construction. Brick and mortar scattered the ground and a cool night air touched my skin from the great hole in this side of the jail. It would have been nice had I not been so worried.

The workers yelled out as they saw us approaching. Many dove out of the way but some remained. The moon shone through the hole in the jail's side wall.

"Why don't we fight them?" I yelled as we approached the opening.

"Blossom, you should only fight those who attack you first or present a threat."

"Like them?" I motioned to three workers, blocking our only exit.

"Like them." Uncle replied as he proceeded to flip the first man onto his back. I kicked one in the groin and flipped another then kicking him in the head. Soon everyone was retreating but unfortunately I could hear guards in the stairwell.

"Well what now?" I asked Uncle as we stood on the edge of the hole, looking down four stories. Brick jutted out from the jail, like little bumps. Not far from this part of the jail was a forest. I noticed Iroh looking there. "Uncle Iroh?"

"Just follow me." With that, he began CLIMBING OVER THE SIDE OF THE WALL. I saw him move quickly, getting about a story and a half down before jumping to the ground below.

"You have to be kidding me." I whispered to myself. "You're insane!" I yelled to Iroh.

"Trust me!" He yelled back. I looked down again but my gut clenched. Luckily the dark made my fear of heights more bearable. I shut my eyes and began slowly making my way down the building. My arms and legs were shaking fiercely and I slipped on one brick. A wave of fire passed by my ear and I looked up to see guards and fire benders at the top of the hole, looking down on me.

"Jump!" Uncle Iroh yelled.

"What!" I screamed but more fire came down towards me and I had no choice. I let go of the brick.

The ground rushed up at me. I braced myself for impact by my legs still hit in a painful way. I crumpled to the ground but soon Iroh was helping me up and we were running into the forest.

We weren't gone long before fire was exploding around us.

"They're burning the forest, expecting me to bend fire in our way. Then they can see our path." Iroh shouted over the roar of the flame. The night no longer felt peaceful.

"Do not lose sight of me." He ordered as he curved to the right. We continued to run, dodging tree limbs and burning shrubbery until we were out of the fire. Still, we walked quickly until the shouts from the prison were only heard every now and then.

"We're almost there."

"I sure hope so." I gasped. "I'm running out of fuel."

"Can you smell anything?" Iroh stopped to look at me.

What an old question. I took a whiff and replied, "Yes, it smells like ocean. We aren't on a peninsula are we?"

He laughed. "My Blossom, we're on an island."

We walked for another five minutes until we could see the shore through the trees. By now my eyes had adjusted and I saw a bar of some sort near a pier. As we made our way towards it, I grabbed Iroh's arm.

"Are you sure we should be going so close to civilization?"

He simply smiled at me. "This will be our ticket out of here."

I guess he knew the bar owner because within five minutes the man had closed down his bar and taken his boat out, with us stowed away inside. We were told it would take until daybreak to get to the next island and I decided I'd use this time to sleep. Besides, Uncle Iroh told me that now that we were out of prison, the point was to get away from the royal Jail and the Firelord's Palace. While it would be best it we got out of the fire nation, it would be okay to hideout in it for a couple weeks.

"Why did that guy let us use his boat?" I asked as we lay in the hold on the ropes and canvas sail. Iroh simply said something about some time of club about a flower. A Lotus club or something. I wished I hadn't asked and I settled down to sleep, wondering what morning would bring. However when I woke up, I was not expecting what I saw.

XX: Thanks for reading! Please comment!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Post-Escape

Trees. And nothing but them. The so-called island was huge but all I could see of the landmass was its trees. The ocean water turned brown as we grew closer. I figured this phenomenon was due to the pine tree's acids leaking into the water. There was the odd smell of ocean and pine that bit at my senses.

"What are we doing here?" I blurted out. The lack of sleep had made me angsty. I was sitting on the edge of the boat, one leg dangling over the side and the other drawn up to my chest. My head rested on my kneecap and I was letting the salt spray brush past my face.

"The island of Omoto is where the Avatar was last spotted." Iroh was standing next to me, looking out over the bow of the ship to our destination.

"So?" I echoed bitterly.

"So, he is our contact."

I almost fell off the boat. Uncle Iroh had told me about our contact in bits and pieces throughout the night and during morning tea. Or contact would be our shelter and protection during our time remaining in the fire nation. He or she would also be the person to get us out of here.

"The Avatar is our contact?" I was still surprised. "Does he know he's our contact?" I asked skeptically

He confirmed my suspicions. "No he has no idea. That's why we'll be tracking him. Your first lesson." Uncle Iroh turned and smiled at me.

"So I get to meet the Avatar?" My excitement was growing. It was a silly idea, but ever since Kat and Zeke had told me about the airbender, I had been hoping that this all-powerful kid could help me with my amnesia. I mean, if you had all the power of the world at your fingertips, what can't you do?

Uncle and I made our way to the back of the boat as the restaurant man backed us into shore. We bowed, said our thanks, and began to depart. I waited on the shore so Uncle Iroh could say a few last words with the old man.

"Be careful out there old friend." The guy said to Uncle as he began to move away from shore. Iroh simply smiled next to me and bowed again.

"Okay, what's up with all the bowing again?" I blurted my question and Iroh looked at me in surprise.

"It is a sign of respect and gratitude. You do not remember something so common in your old life?" He was referring to my life before amnesia and I shook my head. "Well, I'm sure your memories will return eventually. In the meantime, let us continue our journey. We should go further inland and find someplace safe to camp."

I groaned and closed my eyes, fighting the urge to sit down and sleep. Uncle Iroh placed a hand on my shoulder and I gave him a bleary look.

"Really my student? You're giving up after only one intense night?" This was a wound to my pride. I raised myself up and, with a determined look on my face, began to make my way into the forest. The pine needles muffled any noise my thin shoes made, making me feel safer.

"Elyon please do remember I am an old man." I sighed and turned around to see my mentor, several paces behind me. When he finally caught up, we continued on, swerving around the trees and shrubs until we could no longer smell the sea over the scent of pine.

"You remind me of my nephew." I looked at Iroh, surprised, but he stared ahead. "He too is impatient and stubborn." While I wanted to retaliate, I kept silent. Uncle Iroh hadn't told me much about his nephew. All I knew was that the boy had been his last student. In all honesty, there was tons to Iroh's past I didn't know. While I was curious, I figured these stories would come out in time.

However Iroh had not said another word so I tentatively spoke up. "What was your nephew like?"

He laughed at me, still looking ahead. "See, you are impatient." I bit my lip and fought not to make a retort. "My nephew is." When Uncle Iroh saw my confused look, he continued. "My nephew is still alive."

"Oh."

"He's the crown prince of the fire nation." I looked at Iroh in surprise, but he waved me away. "We can discus my family later. First we need to find a place to camp." He pushed ahead of me and I gave him the time to think to himself.

We walked for hours and I became glad we had nothing to carry. The Fire nation was hot, literally, and the tree's shade brought us no comfort. It was muggy under the canopy of branches and soon the boy's clothes I was wearing tuck to my skin. The restaurant owner had given us new clothes on the boat so we wouldn't be recognized by our prison garb. He had guessed my size almost perfectly and given me a boy's black pantsuit. The pants and sleeves were a little long, but I rolled them up to fit me well. Now they were wet with sweat and my body was sticky. The drying sea spray did nothing to help, I just felt gross.

Eventually we came across a dirt road which Uncle Iroh had us follow. While we didn't come across a soul, after only a few minutes of walking, we could make out a small town in the distance. I could hear hustle and bustle from where I stood.

Immediately I continued along but Iroh quickly shook his head and grabbed my arm, pulling me back into the woods. I took one last look of the buildings before following him. I knew arguing would be useless so I rolled my eyes in silent resistance.

Uncle Iroh took me a ways into the forest before we passed a river. I thought we might settle by it but he continued, pushing through some hedges ahead, where he stopped.

"Here." I looked around me. We were in a very tight clearing in the wood. Instinctively my mind went to how we would defend this place. Three sides were covered by trees and the side behind us was covered by the tall hedge. It was a tactical spot. No one outside would see us, and if we were quiet, no one would find us here. "This is our camp Elyon. It is just far enough from the town to be safe." I nodded as Iroh handed me something and I looked down to see a large stone in my palm.

"Um, thanks?" I said quizzically.

"It's soapstone Elyon. I figured you would like to be the first to bathe in the river."

My expression immediately changed. "The one we saw on the way here?"

He nodded. "It's far enough away from the city no one should be walking by it. Just make sure you can find your way back."

I was sitting alone in the center of our camp when Uncle Iroh returned from his bath. My hair was still damp and created a stream of water running down my back. I had begun braiding the strands when Iroh returned from his wash up.

"So when do we start tracking the Avatar?" I asked, securing a small ribbon in my hair.

He combed his wet beard through his fingers and regarded me with a slow smile. "Not today, maybe tomorrow."

My face fell. While I would love to stay at camp and sleep all day, my body was beginning to betray me. The cold water of the river had been a wakeup call and now I had a stream of adrenaline running through my veins. I was eager to do something. Judging by Iroh's smile, he sensed my restlessness.

I looked around me. "So should I go collect wood for a fire?" Iroh opened his mouth to answer but something clicked in my mind and I continued. "Oh, right. No fire. The smoke would give away our position."

A laugh bubbled out of him. "Oh my pupil, this is the Fire nation. There's fire everywhere. Smoke isn't conspicuous here."

I sighed and stood up. "So should I go collect fire wood?" When he shook his head no, I lost it a little. "What do you want me to do then!"

He too stood, and I immediately sobered up. Bowing low, I muttered my apologies. "I'm sorry Uncle."

I looked up to see him standing in front of me. "I have an important mission to send you on Elyon. People in the Fire nation know my face so I can't go into town." He paced around me clockwise. "But no one will recognize you. Take this money," he placed a handful of coins in my hand, "and go into town. Buy some food, a pot we can boil water in, and two sleeping mats if you can find any."

I looked at the money. "Will this be enough for all that?"

"It's all we have so it will have to do. Don't buy the mats if you don't have the money."

Finally feeling entrusted to something important, I nodded. "How will we get food later without money?" I thought for a moment. "Will we have to steal?"

"Hopefully we'll figure something out." Uncle Iroh pushed me through the hedges. "Go. And be careful! Don't act suspicious. Remember, you're just an average fire nation girl running errands for her uncle."

I nodded and winked. "Yes Uncle."

That's where it all really began. When my life started spiraling out of control.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Broken Plans

I traveled through the woods the way we came until I found the road. I took the path back into town and despite the proximity; it took a while to walk there. The village was surrounded by a tall rock wall, three times as tall as me. Judging by the happy babble coming from the city inside, the walls were to keep enemies out, not people in. Still, this was the Fire Nation, I couldn't be so sure.

It was intimidating to enter such a crowded, alien space alone, but I clenched the coins in my hand, kept my head down, and entered. I weaved in and out of the sudden crowds without too much difficulty. Houses and shops lined the street, and private venders filled their carts in the empty spaces. Women walked behind men as they made their rounds together, and young children pushed past their knees to play with friends. Had this not been a Fire Nation town, I would have felt more at ease.

A man bumped his shoulder with mine and I jerked back. "Excuse me." He simply grunted something that may or may not have been an apology in response.

A smell burst through the stench of sweat on the streets and I made my way to a private vender nearby who had fish filling his cart. The smell of the tide was so strong here and a woman nearby covered her nose in disgust. To me, the fish smelled great, like home even.

I was hit with a memory. I smelled crisp fish and could taste the crunchy, lemony skin in my mouth. I reveled for a second in the forgotten moment that had suddenly resurfaced.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to buy something?"

As quickly as the memory had come, it was gone. I sighed and pointed to a small fish towards the back of the man's cart. "How much for that one?" My mouth watered.

"Five." I counted out five of my silver coins and handed them to him as he began wrapping up my fish. I only had two gold coins left and four silver. I still had to buy a pot and two sleeping mats. No doubt I would be in need of more money.

"Thank you." I took the fish in one arm and continued on until I found a store that sold cooking supplies. The pot, which was rather small, cost half of what I had left for money. Uncle and I would be sleeping on the floor tonight.

I put the fish in the pot and carried both in my arms. I didn't want to resort to pick-pocketing to get the mats but the mere thought of sleeping on tree roots made me uncomfortable. I probably overpaid for the pot but what else was there to do? I could hardly remember this unusual money system as it was. My amnesia blocked that information from my memory.

I was trying to remember what the official names of the coins were when a boy ran out of a bar to my right, knocking into me. At impact I dropped my things, the pot broken into a hundred pieces and the remaining change I had rolled out of sight. The fish stayed by, although it collected dust in the street.

"Hey!" I shouted at the boy, but he was too busy being yelled at by another. A rather large man, tall with a mustache and a balding head, towered over him.

"How dare you! You thought you could just come back here after what you did?" The man was screaming. "You ever show your mug here again and I'll scorch it for you!"

"Oh yeah?" The boy challenged as he stood up. "Who will you get to replace me? No one on this island can carry a damn tune. How will you entertain? I'm the only reason your bar stands a chance against the others nearby. Without me, you'll go broke!"

Red flames burst from the clenched fists of mustache-man. I was surprised by the sudden glow and heat, and took several steps back. I picked up my fish and prepared to leave but by now a crowd had gathered and I was surrounded. Mustache-man noticed the people, and the children surrounding his bar and he extinguished his flames.

"Get out of here!" He shouted, and the boy bolted. Just like that, the crowd began to disperse. I watched the scene amazed by people's reactions.

"The Chipped Teacup is now hiring entertainers!" Mustache-man yelled before re-entering his bar.

Sometimes destiny knocks on your door and other times it barges in. When I had been imprisoned with Iroh, destiny had barged in. Now destiny was knocking on my door. I had a choice. It only took me a moment to look at the shards of my broken pot and to glance at the dirty fish in my arms to realize that this was a moment where destiny was knocking, loudly. I took a deep breath and bravely followed the man into the bar.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: I'm a Singer, Not a Stripper**

The business I entered advertised itself as a restaurant, but it was clearly a bar. The place stunk worse than Iroh's feet, so I flipped my collar up over my nose for a brief breath of fresher air.

My feet tip toed between two gruff men drinking some kind of slim. The fire bender who had almost burned a hole in the boy outside had now slipped behind a mahogany counter and was tying an apron around his pudgy waist. I watched ad he downed a shot of booze before spritzing the counter with some water.

"Excuse me." A hooded figure in the corner of the bad lazily picked his head up and looked in my direction, but the owner of The Chipped Teacup paid me no mind.

"Excuse me." He started to wipe down the counter with a rag. My blood slowly boiled as I glanced around the bar. I was the only girl in here. Besides the drunk in the corner, no one had even acknowledged me. It was like I was invisible.

Well, if no one would pay notice to me, I had to make myself noticed.

"Hey!" I said, much louder, while slamming my hand on the counter for good measure. The bar grew silent. All conversation stopped, and you could have heard a pin drop.

The owner of the bar looked up from his business, fire in his eyes. It was then I stupidly remembered the power this guy held, literally, in his hands.

He cleared his throat before growling at me, "We don't serve your kind here. Go away."

A guy's only bar? The idea seemed repugnant, but I could understand the point of it. Iroh had told me stories of prostitutes roaming the fire nation. The business had grown since the war and it was getting wrapped up in some bad crime rings. It seemed like a good idea for a bar to make itself one sex only to avoid trouble.

"I'm here for the position of entertainer." I stuttered awkwardly. A few of the men snickered and wagged their eyebrows at me suggestively.

"You can entertain me tonight pretty girl! My wife's not home!" A voice shouted in the crowd. I turned around to stare down the shouter, but I couldn't tell who had said it.

"As I said," the manager glared at me, "We don't serve your kind here."

"I'm a singer, not a stripper!" I protested. "You just fired that guy out there! I bet I have twice the talent he had."

The man looked back at me and leaned over the bar counter."Look sweetheart, I don't care if you aren't a prostitute. The Chipped Teacup is men only. Besides Leroy, that boy I just fired? He's the best I've ever seen. I need real musicians, not beggars looking for any job they can get their hands on."

A bouncer slipped behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, trying to lead me out. I refused to move. My gaze lingered on a unique type of guitar propped up behind the bar. Before today, I didn't even know I could play guitar. Stubbornly, I shrugged the hand off me and moved behind the counter to grab the thing.

I don't know why I felt so upset inside. Maybe it was the broken pot, or the blatant sexism. Probably it was the fact this man doubted that I was a good singer. Out of everything in my amnesia-clouded brain, that was the one thing I had confidence in. Lyrics and notes had begun to appear in my mind's eye ever since we escaped from prison. I'd been busting a tune ever since.

"What do you think you're doing?" The manager hissed at me, grabbing my wrist before I could touch the instrument.

"Once chance." I demanded. "That's all I want."

The fire in his eyes simmered and slowly burned down to a coal. "Whatever." He said, throwing his arms back in the air. "You get one chance to impress me and when you're done embarrassing yourself you leave. Clear?"

I nodded and picked up the lonely guitar. It felt light and airy in my hands. I lightly placed my fingers on the strings, which were made of some kind of plant material. I strummed a few chords as I pondered a song to play. I needed this job if I were going to get enough money to support Iroh and me.

My fingers started to play as a quick jig came to mind. This bar was guys only, but I knew that the manager wanted the energy to be high to attract customers.

"_It never felt so good to be so wrong,_

_It's not complicated because, hey, our love is jaded."_

My voices rang, loud and clear, throughout the bar, but only a few tables focused their attention completely on me. Still strumming the instrument, I climbed onto the counter, which stretched around the entire length of the room. Now I had caught their attention.

I quickened the pace of the jig during each chorus and soon, I was skipping along the counter, avoiding drinks set out for customers. The young men at the bar had gotten up from their seats and were clapping and drunkenly dancing to the beat. I continued the song, singing as fast as possible. Only when there were more men standing than sitting did I end the jig. At the finish I received a hearty applause. A grin ran on my face, ear to ear, and I was hit with a sudden memory.

I was standing along in the dark, a sole light hanging above me. I could make out figures in the distance, but no faces. All I could hear was the clapping of hands.

I stepped back into reality as I stumbled off the counter. I took a shaky bow and turned to the manager.

Unfortunately, the manager did not look amused. He continued to wipe down a table, an angry expression on his face. Dejected, I put the guitar back in its place, grabbed my sandy fish and started to leave.

"Wait." I heard the manager growl. My heart fluttered hopefully and I turned back. He looked me in the eye, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. "You swear you're not a stripper?"

I sighed. "On my honor." Out of the corner of my eye I saw the figure in the corner shift in his seat, as the men behind me threw compliments in my direction.

"I only pay minimum wage and I expect you here from noon t an hour past sundown." At my empty expression, he harrumphed. "I'm hiring you, girl."

I squeaked. "Really?"

"Yes, against my better judgment." I heard him mutter under his breath.

I ignored it. "Well when do I start?"

"Now."

**XX: End of chapter 7! Expect regular chapters from now on, my goal is to get the rest of the story up by the end of September. Woo! Please comment! Comments help me better the fanfic!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Iroh's Story**

It was an hour past sundown when I finally returned to camp. My vocal chords were sore, but at least I'd convinced Akado, the manager of The Chipped Teacup, to pay me for the afternoon. In my hands was a metal pot which held two small fish. As I approached camp, I noticed a small fire had been lit in the clearing. Iroh was sitting in front of it, his back to me. I tip-toed into camp as quietly as humanly possible but, against all odds, he sensed me.

"I was wondering when you would return." I sighed. Iroh was a ninja. There was no getting past him.

"Sorry." I said as I neared the flames. I started poking the fire with a stick, trying to move around the coals. Once I was certain I had enough room, I laid the fish on the bed of fire and got up to collect water from the river in our new metal pot.

"Leave it for now." Iroh said. "You can get water later. Please, meditate with me."

After a moment's hesitation, I dropped the pot and joined him by the fire. Honestly, I couldn't remember ever having meditated before in my old, forgotten life, so I had to copy his stance, crossing my legs and sitting up straight. My butt shifted in the dirt and I found myself struggling to keep balance. I was more than a little uncomfortable.

"Try imagining a string pulled taught from the center of your head. It aligns with your spine and keeps you balances at center."

Despite his deep, philosophical voice egging me on, no imaginary string could fix my posture. In fact, me and meditating did not get along at all. Instead of clarity, my head was clouded with questions. Was he making me do this to torture me? How will he react when I tell him about my new job? How long are we staying in this town anyway? Is this training? When will my training start? Where was the invisible string supposed to be again?

"You can stop pretending to be at peace. You're just creating more stress in your chakras." What the hell was a chakra? I opened one eye to see Iroh smiling wryly at me. He uncrossed one leg. "Flip that fish."

Grateful to get out of the yoga pose, I got on my knees and poked the stick into the gutting fish. Carefully, I flipped them each over, so the golden brown sides faced up.

"My nephew always had trouble meditating too. Sometimes you really do remind me of him."

I waited to see if he'd tell me more. Iroh knew more about my life than I did (woo, amnesia!), but he barely told me anything about his past. Most of what I knew about him came from what Ming had told me in prison.

I knew he was the former heir to the fire nation's throne. Somehow his brother became Firelord even though it was Iroh's birthright. He was the nation's best General. He loved his nephew, the Fire Prince, but he always made him sad somehow. Finally he figured out some creative way to royally piss off his family (get it? Royal family? Royally? Ah never mind…) and got himself sent to jail.

I tried to put my skills of deduction to the test. What could I deduct about Iroh? I peered over at him as I started to break the fish into steamy pieces. Honestly, he looked like anyone's harmless grandfather. Then again, he was a fantastic fighter. Plus he was at such peace meditating; it was obvious he'd had some serious physical and mental training during his years as an officer. As a former General, I'm sure he must have kicked some ass.

I looked at his hands. While I would expect a former member of the royal family to have clean, smooth hands, Iroh's were rough and callused. I looked for grit from where he had rubbed sticks together to make fire. There was none. Oddly enough, I didn't see any material used to build a fire anywhere near us in camp.

"You're a firebender." The words involuntarily spilled from my lips. When he looked at me, his face was so sad and tired that I wished I could just snatch them from the air and shove them back down my throat.

"Are you okay with that Elyon?" He asked me. "One should not judge others based on their bending nation anyway. Perhaps if benders could coexist, harmony would be easier to obtain in this world."

I got up and handed him some fish. I talked around the fish in my mouth. "No I understand. Sorry I sounded so prude. If you're a good guy, then it really doesn't matter what kind of bender you are."

"The world isn't split into good people versus bad people Elyon. Sometimes those we consider bad are simply misguided. They do what they are led to believe is right, simply because others draw a path for them and they are too lost to dare stray from it."

I got a hunch. "Is that true in your nephew's case?"

Uncle Iroh was silent for a moment. He swallowed another piece of fish before answering me.

"My son, Lu Ten, died at a young age. After he passed, there was an emptiness inside me that I couldn't fill. When my brother took my place as heir, I found myself relieved to not have that responsibility on my plate any longer. It was only when I was sentenced to guide my nephew, Prince Zuko, after his exile that I started to feel whole again." Iroh had this far off look in his eyes as he further explained his nephew's scar and his obsession with capturing the Avatar. He told me of their adventures at the North and South Poles, their risk in hiding themselves with refugees in the Earth Kingdom, and, finally, his nephew's betrayal at Ba Sing Se.

"I just wish that he'll find his own way some day."

"You must love him very much." I said quietly.

"As much as my own son." Iroh started to put out the fire. Hopefully you'll meet him someday under better circumstances."

I reflected on Iroh's story. "Well he must have good in him. He did let the Avatar's bison go."

"He just thinks he needs to regain his honor. More importantly, he needs to find his reason to live. Once one can find their reason to live, they can truly find their destiny."

"I don't have a reason to live." I pondered out loud. The light from the campfire was finally extinguished and we made our way over to the leaf-cots Iroh had made during my escapades.

"You'll find yours in due time my blossom. The first step is a good night's sleep." Minutes later, Iroh was snoring softly in his sleep. I buried myself in the leaves, just now remembering that I hadn't told Iroh about my job. Oh well. I rolled over. My dreams that night were of Iroh's brother, the Fire Lord, and of a great fire he set to the forest. The wildfire burned the entire island and reached over islands, killing thousands and burning homes. I watched as everything became ash, until it was just me, standing on the barren earth. Alone.

**XX: Well that's chapter 9! Teehee! Next chapter will have ZUKO! YAY! I love the angsty prince! Comment on his behalf! (The more comments I get, the creepier Elyon's dreams become )**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: It's Not Rape If You Yell "Surprise"**

I watched wearily as Iroh pointed out the most vulnerable parts of the body during a fight. Days had passed and finally I had mastered my stance. Not even a raging platypus bear could knock me over.

Then again, a butterfly had the capacity to blow me off my feet this afternoon.

"Elyon I assure you, you will not be able to fight anyone off if you continue to sleep through my lessons."

I stirred from my crouched position in the shade. My eyes fluttered open and I rubbed away the hair sticking to my face. The way Iroh was standing over me, with the sun directly behind him, gave him a harsh halo silhouette. A groan escaped my throat.

"Sorry." I said, righting myself and yawning. "I guess I'm just not in my game today."

Iroh frowned. "Enemies don't care if you are 'in your game' or not. You need to be ready to defend yourself at any moment."

I knew he was making sense but I just didn't want to listen to his Iroh-isms right now. My head was pounding and I was sticky with sweat. "The enemy probably doesn't get nightmares either, right?" I had already shared my dream issues with my mentor. Every night I slipped into a lucid world where the earth was charred and the sun made the sky bleed red. When I woke, I usually found myself getting sick or running to the river to cool off. Iroh had me drinking water at all times of the day so my arms were strong from carrying the bucket to the stream and back.

"Your dreams are worrying me."Iroh said as I stood up. "Are you afraid of fire, Elyon?"

"Not at all." I said blearily. Suddenly a current of heat rushed by me, inches from my head. The small tree that had previously given me shade cracked and I stepped to the side as it fell. "Geez Master. What did that tree ever do to you?"

Uncle ignored my sarcasm and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I only wished to make sure you weren't lying to me. Many people try not to admit their fears. But, if you push your fear away, it can only cause greater harm to you."

"Wonderful." I said dryly, moving to take another sip of water from the bucket I had purchased some days ago. "But the only thing I fear is not getting any memories back."

"And why is that?"

I dripped some liquid onto my burning shoulders, enjoying the cool feeling on my sunburn. My eyes trailed the droplets, transfixed. I thought of what to say to Iroh and chose to stick with the truth. "Because I'm dependent on you until I can remember. I know no social conventions and if I were to go on my own I'd end up pissing someone off. I'd be lucky to end up in jail again."

We were each silent for a moment. I listened for the sound of a breeze, a frog, or _something_ from the forest. It was like time was still in the fire nation and only Uncle and I existed.

I looked up to see Iroh watching me intently, an unidentifiable emotion on his face.

"What's up Doc?"

Iroh shook his head. "Go sing at your bar." I had finally told him about my lucky chance at an occupation. It had taken a lot of persistence and pretty-pleases to get him to allow me to go. "Maybe if you take a break from your training now, you will be up to continue with me later tonight." I nodded eager to get back to town. "Just be sure to get here before the sun goes down please. A young woman shouldn't wander around at night."

"Yes sure! I mean sir!" I cried as I flew from the camp.

While I was grateful to Iroh for guiding and teaching me, I had come to love my job at the bar. When I was singing, there was no room left for confusion or worry. I was on a cloud and nothing could make me fall. Well except for…

"Hey girlie, are you a man? Why not wear a skirt sometime? I'm sure you have some nice legs under those man pants." My smile faltered as I sang, screwing up my last note. Damn.

The manager had set up a small stage at the bar where I and the sitar player could sit and look out over our audience. Right now I was the perfect distance from the drunken assholes sitting in the far left corner of the bar. They'd been hitting on me since I got here and I was slowly starting to get creeped out.

I finished my last song for the night and bowed along with Rob, the sitar player. The applause filled the room and I could count at least 10 new bodies among the crowd tonight.

"Am I bringing in enough customers for you?" I asked the manager as I stepped of stage. He was helping the bartender refill drinks. I could tell he was busy, but he threw a sneer over his shoulder at me anyways. Rob had told me yesterday that I was bringing in twice as many customers as their last entertainer.

I smiled to myself as I collected my wages from the bar drawer. After days of Iroh yelling at me over footwork or my defense, it was nice to hear I was good at something.

"Night guys!" I called as I stuffed my money in my pocket and left the bar for the night. Moving past the cloaked regular in the corner, I slipped out of the bar. I bit my lip when I saw how dark it was outside already. The sun would set in a couple of minutes and there was no way I'd be back to camp in time. I knew that meant I'd be minutes late for Iroh's lesson. The fastest way back to camp would be through the alleys, avoiding the town's busy streets.

The amnesia/innocent side of me thought nothing was wrong when I started down an alley. Of course, my Iroh-kick-ass side kicked in a second too late when I caught sight of the man in my path. It was one of the drunks from the bar. How he got in front of me, I had no idea but the sight wasn't a pleasing one.

Instead of confronting him and wasting more time, I turned ready to make my way through town. Of course by then, his two buddies from the bar had surrounded me on my other side, finally causing my heart to race a little.

"Excuse me." I said, not even trying to make my way past the guy. It was three against one. I was outnumbered.

"Where are you going girlie? We wanted you to come to our party." One of them said as they closed in on me.

"Did you now?" I said lightly, trying to convince myself that they were just trying to be friendly. "Well actually I have someplace to be, so…" I moved as if to pass them but my path was blocked.

"Aw c'mon girlie, we only need a couple minutes each. I'll tell you what, why don't you sing for us while we keep you busy for a couple more minutes."

"Good idea." My brain sent out alarms, warning my body that I was seriously outnumbered and outgunned. These guys had muscle. "I love singing." I took in a deep breath before screaming, "HEEELLPP ME-"

One of them lunged and wrapped a huge paw around my face. Adrenaline kicked in and I tried hitting someone in the balls, but I couldn't see my targets. Pulling a fist back, I let it go, aiming a little high. The crunching noise that followed was a nose.

"Bitch!" I was thrown against the alley wall and I crumpled to the ground, the breath knocked out of my lungs. A smelly, heavy body pressed up against me and I bucked back.

"Get off!" I yelled just as another bone crunching sound resonated a few feet away. The drunk on me got up and the three of us watched as the cloaked guy from the bar stepped over the body of the drunk he had just knocked out.

"Three against one hardly sounds fair." A young man's voice echoed.

"Hey what did you do to Hal?" The guy on top of me stood and approached the bar's regular customer. "You're going to be sorry you even walked in on this!"

But as the drunk lunged for the boy, he lunged at the drunk, using drunkie's force against himself to slam his head into the wall, knocking him out. I watched as he fought with the last man, but when the last man pulled a knife, I bolted upright.

"Oh no you don't!" I kicked the knife out of his hand and drove a knee into his…special place. As he crouched to the ground, the boy gave him a solid roundhouse kick to the head, putting him out as well. Now I was alone in an alley with a guy who was three times the danger as the last men. Hooray...

"Are you stupid?" The cloaked figure yelled, turning on me now.

"Excuse me?" I whirled around to face him. The hood of his cloak covered his head so all I could make out was one amber eye and the scabbard of what appeared to be a dual-sword attached at his belt. How I knew what a dual-sword was, was beyond me. Woo amnesia!

"A girl shouldn't walk around an alley at dusk. You were asking for that." He motioned to the drunks on the ground. "I was watching you; you could have made a run for it earlier. What, did you try and convince yourself that they just wanted to chat?" My mouth stretched out in a thin line, as this was precisely what I'd been thinking.

"I'm sorry I try to see the good in people." I said, folding my arms across my chest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some place to be."

"Aren't you going to thank me?" The arrogant sonofabitch put a hand on my shoulder as I turned to go.

Honestly I'd had a rough day. No sleep, I'd almost been raped. I just wanted to get back to camp. Why did he have to push my buttons? I wasn't even thinking when I grabbed his arm and pulled his body over my shoulder, throwing him to the ground. I swear it was an accident.

"Sorry!" I said, just in time for him to push me back into the wall, one arm pressed against my throat. In the commotion his hood had fallen back, exposing… a boy my age with eyes the color of pure amber and hair as dark as night. Not to mention half of his face was marred by harsh scar. A burn.

Unfortunately the boy also had noticed that his hood had come off and he took a step back, letting me go.

Of course, instead of just politely ignoring it I chose to further piss him off. "What happened?" I blurted out questions. "Who did that to you?"

The boy looked up sharply. "What, you don't know who I am?"

I shook my head with an exasperated sigh, trying not to look at the scar. "I'm new to town if you haven't noticed." I stuck out a hand. "My name is Elyon."

He didn't take it, instead picking something off the ground and pressing it into my palm. The drunk's knife. "Protect yourself." He said. "I have other places to be tonight. I trust you can make your way home safely." And just like that he started to disappear into the darkness.

"Wait!" I cried. "What's your name?"

For a second I thought he was too far gone, but then I heard it. "You can call me Lee."

**XX: Brownie points to whoever knows who Lee is! Please comment, it makes me more eager to write faster. I also apologize for typos. Have homework to do, no time to reread my chapters.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Walk On

The following day, I was halfway through my first song when I noticed a familiar cloak slip into the bar and take its place at the back table for two. My attention was caught for a moment too soon, and the sitar player had to tap me on the back before I fell a beat behind. I knew that tap well. It meant stop daydreaming and pay more attention to the music. I rolled my eyes, my job was so hard.

I laughed a little at my last thought. This job was anything but difficult. I think the sitarist and the other musicians envied me. It took them hours to write a new song while I had cranked out five on the walk from camp to town. Music just came to me. Notes and lyrics were the only part of my old life that I could remember. Thank the spirits I had been left with something.

Today's show was a matinee so my set list was unusually short. I'd written a few songs about finding oneself as well as a few low key songs. Party tracks wouldn't be appreciated until later in the night when everyone began drinking. Those were my favorite type of songs but, it was during one of these slower songs that I looked at Lee sitting in the face. I could almost make out a wry smile half-covered by his hood. Strange, I wouldn't take him for someone who appreciated music.

In no time, my shift ended and I found myself walking straight off the stage over to Lee's table. It was like I had no control over my limbs. They were carrying me to him whether I liked it or not.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling into the tiny booth. The seat stuck to my backside and I begun to tie my hair up in a knot. It was ridiculously hot today, even for the Fire Nation.

At first, only Lee's eyes moved and he stared at me. Now that I was looking for it, I could make out the edge of his scar.

Lee matched his lips to the small teacup in front of him, gulping the rest down before… walking away. Before I knew it he had left the bar and was disappearing into the street, leaving me waiting for an answer to my question.

"Well Elyon, you must have quite the way with words." My coworkers laughed and I shot outside after the boy my age, not giving my coworkers the satisfaction of seeing my face turn red. Lee's cloak made him blend into the city streets but it didn't take long for me to catch up to him. I noticed he had pulled his hood even farther over his face, only his mouth was visible. I wondered how he could see. A memory fluttered at the back of my mind, but just as soon as it had come, it was gone.

"I take it you are not exactly a people person."

"Go away." He said in a clipped tone as he pressed on through the midday stream of people perusing the market.

I pretended to ponder doing so. "Nah, I have five minutes to kill before I'm due for my lesson."

Lee opened his mouth slightly, as if he were going to ask something but thought better of it and stayed silent.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"You were about to ask what my lessons were for, weren't you?"

"No." Judging by the twitch on the side of his mouth, no really meant yes.

"I'm learning to fight. Classes on combat. You know, the usual." I said everything casually. I thought it was impressive that a girl like me was learning self defense but Lee and I obviously didn't see eye to eye on the matter. A rough sound that almost could have been a laugh erupted from his mouth.

"What? Do you think girls can't fight?"

He looked at me, still unimpressed. "Girls can fight; I just don't have much hope for you. Was your first lesson to walk down strange alleys late at night? Because you did a fine job of finding trouble."

I frowned but didn't argue. This was the longest he had ever talked to me and I almost felt a twinge of pride or something rise up in my chest. We continued to walk through the streets; luckily he was taking the same route I used to get to my lessons. Kids ran through the streets. One particularly shabby street rat pushed back a couple in front of us, only to run straight into Lee's legs. The kid looked up at him and his innocent grin turned into a mask of terror.

"S-sorry!" The kid bowed low before running off as fast as his legs would carry him.

There goes that bowing business again, I thought to myself.

"Well you really freaked him out." I observed. Again, Lee didn't say much. His mood seemed to darken somehow by the child. I patted him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm going to go learn how to kick some ass. Have a nice day Lee."

I didn't wait for a reply that would not come so I simply smiled and walked off, then into the woods around city limits. Iroh was tending to the fire in camp. He was on his hands and knees, blowing a tiny flame into a pile of brush until it began to crackle with the heat.

"Why don't you just use firebending?" I asked, my shoes snapping every fallen twig and leaf in our camp.

Iroh leaned back and smiled at me, the familiar twinkle in his eyes. Iroh may have been old, how old I never would know, but he had a young man's eyes. The wrinkles on his face told me he had been through a lot of grief, but his eyes glittered like stars. They showed his sense of humor and his clever spark, no pun intended.

"It's best to save one's chi Elyon." He stood, brushing the plant residue from his hands.

"I wouldn't know." I said, wagging my hand I the air. "Not a bender."

"That you know of." He replied.

"Ah, the amnesia bit again. You know," I started, "sometimes I forget I lack memory of my past." The sarcasm simply dripped out of my mouth.

"Good." Iroh said, surprising me. "I can imagine that this whole situation is very painful for you."

I didn't respond, at least not right away. By then, our lesson had begun.

I had stuck my stance days ago as well as mastered every block and defensive jest Iroh could teach me. He insisted on teaching defense before offense which made complete sense. Today we were going over basic blocking and different offensive moves.

"Get in your stance." I did so, crouching with my left foot in front of my right. I had my left arm up to block and my right arm tucked close to my abdomen.

"Punch me." By now I had learned not to question Iroh so I threw a punch at his face without hesitating. Being Iroh, he dodged easily and caught my fist in his hand.

"Stand down."

Over the course of the next couple of hours, he corrected my movements and taught me a few different moves for punching someone in the face, neck or jaw. I learned to pivot my back foot to provide for more power, and Iroh taught me to avoid hooking my shots. Hooking took away the force behind each blow and could mean the difference between stunning someone and breaking their nose.

He had started to show me the form for a lower strike when the woods crashed from behind me. I turned around, alarmed, to see a bald man holding a scroll while standing on the edge of camp.

"Who are you?" Iroh asked cautiously. My heart began to flutter as I began to question the location of our camp. Hopefully this stranger had stumbled upon us accidently. I didn't want to imagine moving again.

"A friend of the trade." The man said, bowing and then moving the shoulder of his shirt down to reveal a tattoo of a flower inside a circle.

To my surprise, Iroh returned the bow before addressing me. "Elyon, practice your strikes as I talk with our guest."

Perplexed I practiced quietly on my own. I tried with all my might to overhear their conversation, but they talked in hushed whispers. The man left minutes later and I turned to see Iroh slipping the scroll into his shirtsleeve.

"What's up?" I asked, hesitant.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with. Let us continue our lesson."

But as I got into bed that night, dreading the nightmares that would attack as soon as I had my eyes closed, I could not escape the feeling that Iroh was hiding something from me. Even stranger… I could swear I saw a blue tint to the parchment Iroh had up his shirt. The scroll was Water tribe.

XX: I will be writing this fanfiction for Camp Nanowrimo so expect a large number of chapters to be up this month on a regular basis! Comments help motivate me! Criticism makes me a better writer!


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